Creativit

What is
Creativity?
Creativityis
a
phenomenon
whereby
something new and valuable is created (such as an
idea, a joke, an artistic or literary work, a painting
or musical composition, a solution, an invention
etc.). The ideas andconcepts so conceived can
then manifest themselves in any number of ways,
but most often, they become something we can
see, hear, smell, touch, or taste.

Theories of Creative
Process
Incubation
Creative Cognition Approach
The Explicit-Implicit Interaction
Honing Theory

Incubation

One of the 4 proposed stages

ofcreativity: preparation, incubation,
illumination, and verification.
defined as a process of unconscious
recombination of thought elements
that
were
stimulated
through
conscious work at one point in time,
resulting in novel ideas at some later
point in time.

Creative Cognition
Approach
In 1992, Finke proposed the
"Geneplore" model in which
creativity takes place in two
phases:
a generative phase where an
individual
constructs
mental
representations
called
preinventive
structures
and an exploratory phase where
those
structures are
used to
come
up with
creative ideas.

The Explicit-Implicit
Interaction (Ell Theory)
Helie and Sun recently proposed a unified framework for
understandingcreativity in problem ssolving namely the
ExplicitImplicit Interaction (EII) theory of creativity.
This new theory constitutes an attempt at providing a more
unified explanation of relevant phenomena.
The EII theory relies mainly on five basic principles, namely 1)
The co-existence of and the difference between explicit and
implicit knowledge; 2) The simultaneous involvement of
implicit and explicit processes in most tasks; 3) The redundant
representation of explicit and implicit knowledge; 4) The
integration of the results of explicit and implicit processing;
and 5) The iterative (and possibly bidirectional) processing.

Honing Theory
Honing theory posits that creativity arises due to the selforganizing, self-mending nature of a worldview and that it is by
way of the creative process the individual hones (and re-hones)
an integrated worldview.
Honing theory places equal emphasis on the externally visible
creative outcome and the internal cognitive restructuring
brought about by the creative process.
Thus another distinguishing feature of honing theory is that the
creative process reflects the natural tendency of a worldview to
attempt to resolve dissonance and seek internal consistency
amongst its components, whether they be ideas, attitudes, or
bits of knowledge; it mends itself as does a body when it has
been injured.

Types of Creativity
An article by R. J. Sternberg in theCreativity Research
Journalreviewed the "investment" theory of creativity
as well as the "propulsion" theory of creative
contribution, suggesting that there are eight types of
creative contribution;
Replication is confirming that the given field is in the correct
place.
Redefinition is the attempt to redefine where the field is and
how it is viewed .
Forward Incrementation is a creative contribution that moves
the field forward in the direction in which it is already moving.

 Advance forward movement which

advances the field past the point
where others are ready for it to go
Redirection which moves the field in a
new different direction
Redirection from a point in the past
which moves the field back to a
previous point to advance in a
different direction.
Starting Over/ Re-initiation is moving
the field to a different starting point
Integration is combining two or more
diverse ways of thinking about the

Creativity Profiles
Creativity can be expresses in a number of
different forms, depending on the unique people
and environments it exists. A number of
different theorists have suggested models of the
creative person. One model suggests that there
are kinds to produce growth, innovation, speed,
etc. These are referred to as the four "Creativity
Profiles" that can help achieve such goals.
(i)Incubate(Long-term Development)
(ii)Imagine(Breakthrough Ideas)
(iii)Improve(Incremental Adjustments)
(iv)Invest(Short-term Goals)

Creativity Profiles
Research by Dr Mark Batey of the Psychometrics at
Work Research Group atManchester Business School
has suggested that the creative profile can be
explained by four primary creativity traits with narrow
facets within each
(i) "Idea Generation" (Fluency, Originality, Incubation
and Illumination)
(ii) "Personality" (Curiosity and Tolerance for
Ambiguity)
(iii) "Motivation" (Intrinsic, Extrinsic and
Achievement)
(iv) "Confidence" (Producing, Sharing and
Implementing)

Creativity Profiles
One characteristic of creative people as measured by
some psychologists, is what is calleddivergent
production.Divergent Productionis the ability of a
person to generate a diverse assortment, yet an
appropriate amount of responses to a given situation.
Other researchers of creativity see the difference in
creative people as a cognitive process of dedication to
problem solving and developing expertise in the field
of their creative expression.
Creative people tend to be more open to new
experiences, are more self-confident, are more
ambitious, self-accepting, impulsive, driven, dominant,
and hostile, compared to people with less creativity.

Creativity
Profiles
From an evolutionary perspective, creativity may be a
result of the outcome of years of generating ideas.
In studying exceptionally creative people in history, some
common traits in lifestyle and environment are often
found. Creative people in history usually had supportive
parents.
Another theory of creative people is theinvestment
theory of creativity. This approach suggest that there are
many individual and environmental factors that must
exist in precise ways for extremelly high levels of
creativity opposed to average levels of creativity. In
theinvestmentsense, a person with their particular
characteristics in their particular environment may see an
opportunity to devote their time and energy into
something that has been overlooked by others.

Fostering Creativity
Daniel Pink, in his 2005 bookA Whole
New Mind, repeating arguments posed
throughout the 20th century, argues
that we are entering a new age where
creativity is becoming increasingly
important. In thisconceptual age, we
will need to foster and encouragerightdirected
thinking(representing
creativity
and
emotion)
overleftdirected thinking(representing logical,
analytical thought). However, this
simplification of 'right' versus 'left' brain
thinking is not supported by the
research data.

Basic Elements of
Creativity

The elements of creativity are sometimes

generalized as cognitive, affective, personal and
motivational, and social or environmental.
Among these, cognitive and affective elements are
arguably most important. The cognitive aspects of
creativity include basic knowledge (both general and
field-specific), perceptiveness, originality, attraction
to complexity (e.g., combining, analyzing, and
applying different, disparate ideas or concepts),
open-mindedness (e.g., resistance to closure, and
awareness of creativity. Affective elements include
curiosity, humor, independence, and risk-taking.

Creativity Techniques
Establishing purpose and
intention
Building basic skills

Encouraging acquisitions of
domain-specific knowledge

Stimulating and rewarding

curiosity and exploration
Building motivation,
especially internal
motivation

Encouraging confidence
and a willingness to take
risks

Focusing on mastery and

self-competition
Promoting supportable
beliefs about creativity
Providing opportunities for
choice and discovery
Developing selfmanagement
(metacognitive skills)
Teaching techniques and
strategies for facilitating
creative performance
Providing balance

Social Attitudes
Although the benefits of creativity to society as a
whole have been noted,social attitudes about this
topic remain divided. The wealth of literature
regarding the development of creativity and the
profusion ofcreativity techniques indicate wide
acceptance, at least among academics, that
creativity is desirable.
There is, however, a dark side to creativity, in that
it represents a"quest for a radical autonomy apart
from the constraints of social responsibility". In
other words, by encouraging creativity we are
encouraging a departure from society's existing
norms and values. Expectation of conformity runs
contrary to the spirit of creativity.

 Ken Robinson argues that the current

education system is "educating people out
of their creativity".Nevertheless, employers
are increasingly valuing creative skills. A
report by the Business Council of Australia,
for example, has called for a higher level of
creativity in graduates. ability to "think
outside the boX is highly sought after.
However, the above-mentioned paradox
may well imply that firms pay lip service to
thinking outside the box while maintaining
traditional,
hierarchical
organization
structures in which individual creativity is
condemned.

TIPS to Develop
Creativity
Commit Yourself to Developing
Your Creativity
Become an Expert
Reward Your Curiosity
Realize that Creativity is
Sometimes Its Own Reward
Be Willing to Take Risks
Build Your Confidence
Make Time for Creativity
Overcome Negative Attitudes
that Block Creativity
Fight Your Fear of Failure
Brainstorm to Inspire New Ideas

Creativity
Test

Score Comment

16-36

You're unsure of your creative talent. Maybe you

haven't been given opportunities to be creative, or
maybe you're convinced that you're simply not a
creative person. Either way, look for opportunities to
improve how you do things, even if you don't have
any current problems. Use the discussion and
resources below to be more creative you'll be
surprised by how creative you can be if you give
yourself a chance!

37-58

Your creativity is a "work in progress." You've had

some successes, so now it's time to let loose and
stretch yourself. Share your ideas and perspectives
with others, and ask them how they view problems.
Adopt a collaborative approach to problem finding,
and work actively with others to create and innovate.
The tools and resources below will help you get to the
next level of creativity.
Creativity is one of your strengths, and innovative and
creative minds are highly sought after. So don't hide
your ability! Look for ways to share your creativity